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The Tunisian men’s football team lost their first match against Sweden at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday and it seemed to have a ripple effect throughout the team.
Tunisia sacked coach Sabri Lamouchi on Monday after the 5-1 defeat. Hervé Renard has been named coach for the remainder of the World Cup. The Tunisian football federation said Renard’s deal would only cover upcoming matches in the tournament and that a longer-term deal would be discussed later.
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Tunisia head coach Sabri Lamouchi watches the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, June 14, 2026. (Moïses Castillo/AP Photo)
Tunisia still has Japan and the Netherlands on the program. However, this defeat put Tunisia in quite a difficult situation as the 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands gave each team one point. Japan would qualify for the round of 16 if the World Cup ended today.
Renard has experience as a World Cup coach. He was in charge of Morocco in 2018 and Saudi Arabia in 2022. Saudi Arabia shocked the world in Qatar when the team beat Argentina in a group stage match. He also coached the French women’s team during the 2023 World Cup.
Herve Renard, then head coach of Saudi Arabia, reacts during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Lusail, Qatar on November 22, 2022. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
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Lamouchi had only coached Tunisia since January.
This is not the first time that Tunisia has made a change of coach during the tournament.
In 1998, Tunisia dismissed Henryk Kasperczak after defeats to England and Colombia in the group stage. The team was out of contention by the time they faced Romania.
Tunisia head coach Sabri Lamouchi before the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, June 14, 2026. (Moïses Castillo/AP Photo)
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Spain enjoyed success thanks to a stunning coaching turnaround midway through the World Cup. In 2018, Spain fired Julen Lopetegui two days before their first match against Portugal. Spain qualified for the knockout stage but lost to Russia on penalties.
